Page 222 - fourth year book

COVID-19

Older people and people with many serious medical conditions are the
most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms. The most

common signs and symptoms that linger over time include:

 Fatigue

 Cough
 Shortness of breath

 Headache
 Joint pain

Although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs,
it can damage many other organs as well. This organ damage may

increase the risk of long-term health problems.

Organ damage caused by COVID-19

Organs that may be affected by COVID-19 include:

 Heart: damage to the heart muscle, even in people who experienced
only mild COVID-19 symptoms. This may increase the risk of heart

failure or other heart complications in the future.
 Lungs: The type of pneumonia often associated with COVID-19 can

cause long-standing damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs.
The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems.

 Brain: Even in young people, COVID-19 can cause strokes, seizures
and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that causes temporary
paralysis. COVID-19 may also increase the risk of developing
Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Blood clots and blood vessel problems

COVID-19 can make blood cells more likely to clump up and form clots.
While large clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, much of the heart

damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to stem from very small clots
that block tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the heart muscle.

Other organs affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and
kidneys. COVID-19 can also weaken blood vessels, which contributes to

potentially long-lasting problems with the liver and kidneys.

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